Van der Wath, McLaren crush Warriors in low-scorer

Knights 105 (Second 38, Gqamane 3-16, Ntini 3-20, Birch 3-31) beat Warriors 46 (van der Wath 4-26, McLaren 3-11) by 59 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Warriors needed just 106 to beat Knights in the Momentum Cup fixture in Port Elizabeth, but a dramatic collapse meant they fell embarrassingly short, being bundled out for 46. Knights' unbelievable win was crafted by seamers Johan van der Wath and Ryan McLaren, who combined to claim seven wickets and secure the 59-run victory on a surface that assisted the quicks. While it was Knights' second consecutive batting failure (they were bowled out for 94 in their previous game), Warriors' 46 was the second-lowest total in the history of the one-day competition.

Makhaya Ntini and Andrew Birch led the Warriors pace attack and didn't allow Knights to settle after they batted first. Half the side was dismissed by these quicks, with Knights struggling at 59 for 5 in the 19th over. The remaining wickets did not take much longer to fall, with another seamer, Ayabulela Gqamane, joining in to claim three.

But Warriors began their chase equally poorly, losing opener Ashwell Prince in the opening over. At 26 for 1, they looked to have settled down, but the game turned completely: they lost five wickets for a run, courtesy van der Wath and McLaren, to be left reeling at 27 for 6. Spinner Nicky Boje and seamer Maliusi Siboto then took care of the tail, as Warriors' slide culminated in a whopping defeat in the 21st over.

Van der Wath claimed figures of 4 for 26, and and McLaren 3 for 11 - those three scalps were enough to propel McLaren to within touching distance of the top of the tournament's wickets chart after six games.

P Sara bounce could boost New Zealand

Match facts

November 25-29, 2012
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)

Big Picture

The second Test at the P Sara Oval finds the two teams heading in seemingly opposite directions. Sri Lanka had not won a Test series in three years until they defeated Pakistan at home in July, and if a manful recovery with the bat and ruthlessness with the ball in the Galle Test are any indication, they are a side who have reclaimed the fight they had misplaced following the 2011 World Cup and have begun to make winning a habit again.   

Sri Lanka's pace bowlers were effective on a dry surface, landing heavy blows on New Zealand's top order before Rangana Herath arrived to deliver the coup de grace. Herath himself continues to progress, having become the top wicket-taker in 2012 with his 11 wickets in Galle. Sri Lanka may also have uncovered a fast bowler with enough command of pace, seam and reverse swing to become a potential long-term spearhead in Shaminda Eranga. Their batting also seems less prone to the sporadic collapses that plagued them in the 12 months before the Pakistan series.   

New Zealand meanwhile, have slid to their worst losing streak since 1955. Their batsmen have been working on their technique against spin in the nets since their three-day loss, but even the two extra days may not be enough to rebound from a performance as woeful as their 118 all out in their second innings in Galle. Though they are short on time to vastly improve their techniques, they must acquire the psychological steel to survive at the crease for long periods against fine bowling. Their plight may not be as hopeless as it seems, as the bouncier P Sara pitch will assist their seam bowlers in the same way it assisted England's in March, when they squared their two-match series with Sri Lanka, after also losing the first match in Galle.

  For Sri Lanka, this Test shapes as a doubly crucial fixture, as it may be their only real test before their first Test against Australia in Hobart. The considerable talent in New Zealand's fast bowling unit was evident in Galle, and with the Canberra pitch on which Sri Lanka are scheduled to play their only warm-up match having a reputation for being on the slow side, the bouncy Colombo venue might serve as an opportunity for the team to pre-tune their techniques before they land in Australia. It may also give the hosts the opportunity to settle on a first-choice seam-bowling unit for the Tests to come, or at least, a chance to gauge how effective Nuwan Kulasekara's new ball partnership with Eranga might be Down Under.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: WDDWL (Most recent first)
New Zealand: LLLLL

Player to watch

Doug Bracewell has been one of New Zealand's most consistent performers since making his debut just over a year ago, but he was unable to find the right length in Galle and went wicketless while his teammates prospered. But unlike Galle, the P Sara pitch often rewards hit-the-deck bowling and Bracewell's back-of-a-length seamers may be more effective this time round.  

Suraj Randiv was put under some pressure by chief selector Ashantha de Mel, who said his place in the XI might be under threat if he does not have a good first Test. He too was less successful than his teammates in the first Test, despite bowling some tight spells, but the selectors seem to have backed him in the end, naming him in the squad to Australia as the second spinner. Sri Lanka are unlikely to leave him out in Colombo unless the pitch is uncharacteristically green, and a bagful of wickets there will do his confidence some good.    

Teams news

There has been no word yet from Sri Lanka whether Tillakaratne Dilshan has recovered from a back injury. Given his importance to their campaign in Australia, they are unlikely to risk him if he is not totally fit. It would also give the hosts another chance to look at Dimuth Karunaratne, who had a promising debut in Galle despite his first innings duck, and has earned a spot in the squad to Australia. If Karunaratne plays and performs well, Tharanga Paranavitana will have some real competition for the second openers' slot, which is the only position in the Sri Lanka batting order that isn't nailed down at present.   

Kulasekara and Eranga are the likely new-ball pair, and Chanaka Welegedara will only play if a third seamer is deemed necessary.   

Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan/Dimuth Karunaratne, 2. Tharanga Paranavitana, 3. Kumar Sangakkara, 4. Mahela Jayawardene (c), 5. Thilan Samaraweera, 6. Angelo Mathews, 7. Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 8. Nuwan Kulasekara, 9. Suraj Randiv, 10. Rangana Herath, 11. Shaminda Eranga.  

Tim Southee, whose terrific second-day spell breathed life into the first Test, is also doubtful for the second. New Zealand have two more seam bowlers in their ranks, and the experience of Chris Martin will likely be preferred over the aggression of Neil Wagner, if Southee doesn't pass the fitness test.   

James Franklin had a woeful first Test with the bat, as epitomised by his 44-ball 3 in the first innings, and New Zealand may replace him with Rob Nicol. Nicol is an opener, but he may have to move into the middle order to prevent a major reshuffle.

New Zealand (probable): 1. Martin Guptill, 2. Brendon McCullum, 3. Kane Williamson, 4. Ross Taylor, 5. Daniel Flynn, 6. James Franklin/Rob Nicol, 7. Kruger van Wyk, 8. Doug Bracewell, 9. Tim Southee/Chris Martin, 10. Jeetan Patel, 11. Trent Boult  

Pitch and conditions

The Colombo weather has largely held over the past week or so, and the only showers have been in the evening. A little more rain is forecast for the coming week, but if it follows the recent pattern, it may not have a major effect on the cricket. However, being November, there is always the chance of a front moving in and bedding down.

Stats and trivia

The victory in Galle was Sri Lanka's fourth Test win since Muttiah Muralitharan retired in July 2010
Before the Mumbai Test between England and India began, Rangana Herath was leading Graeme Swann by one wicket in 2012, with 46 victims. Herath had played four fewer Tests
Tim Southee's has an average of 26.23 for 2012, while his career average is 37.85. He has more wickets (17) and a better economy rate (3.16) this year than in any preceding calendar year
The P Sara Oval has had only one draw since 1993, but New Zealand were involved in that occasion in 2003, when Stephen Fleming hit an unbeaten 274.

Quotes

"We're not thinking we can't compete with them. We think we can win this Test match and that's what we're going out to do. Everyone needs to step up, learn from what happened in Galle and move forward."  
Tim Southee on what New Zealand aim to achieve in Colombo

" We will definitely look to keeping the Kiwis under pressure as they have the firepower with both bat and ball so there's no room for any complacency."  
Mahela Jayawardene isn't letting his team take it easy

Siddle sparks trouble for South Africa

Lunch South Africa 7 for 273 (Smith 122, du Plessis 26*, Kallis 11*) trail Australia 550 by 277 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Peter Siddle led a strong Australian bowling effort on the third day at Adelaide Oval, where South Africa lost five wickets in the first session for the addition of only 56 runs. By lunch, South Africa were 7 for 273, with Faf du Plessis on 26 and the injured Jacques Kallis on 11, and although they needed a further 74 to avoid the follow-on, that seemed academic as Michael Clarke was one bowler down and therefore likely to bat again.

The loss of James Pattinson was the major concern for Australia during the session. Pattinson suffered pain in his side after bowling the first delivery of his tenth over and immediately left the field for assessment. He was expected to go to hospital for scans during the afternoon, leaving the fast-bowling workload to Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus.

They did the job admirably up until lunch. Siddle provided the spark Australia needed by getting rid of Graeme Smith, who added only 11 to his overnight score and was caught behind for 122. Smith was given out by the umpire Billy Bowden and immediately asked for a review; Hot Spot showed a faint mark that supported Bowden's decision but Smith was clearly unhappy with the outcome.

Siddle also removed AB de Villiers, who on 1 was struck dead in line and saw Bowden's finger being raised almost before the Australians appealed. Out of hope more than anything, de Villiers also asked for a review but there was no reprieve. Kallis did not walk to the wicket at No.7 as expected, and instead the South Africans sent Dale Steyn and Rory Kleinveldt in ahead of him.

Neither man had any lasting impact, though, Steyn caught at slip for 1 when Hilfenhaus curved a ball away and Kleinveldt comprehensively losing his off stump, out for a duck when he tried to thump Hilfenhaus through the leg side. It completed a very successful period for Australia in which they had collected 5 for 17, beginning with the dismissal of Jacques Rudolph, who added only four to his score.

On 29, Rudolph was enticed by an excellent delivery from Nathan Lyon, whose flight and drop meant Rudolph's drive flew straight to Rob Quiney at cover. It was the perfect start for Australia, whose bowlers had struggled on the second day.

By lunch, du Plessis had played some impressive strokes and looked unfazed by making his Test debut, but his partner Kallis was clearly hampered by his hamstring injury and was unable to offer much speed between the wickets.

Pattinson sidelined by side pain

James Pattinson, the Australia fast bowler, may have broken down again with serious injury after he complained of side pain when taking the second new ball on the third morning of the second Test against South Africa in Adelaide.

Having bowled the first ball of the 84th over, Pattinson, 22, spoke to his captain Michael Clarke and walked off the ground. After speaking with the team physio Alex Kountouris it emerged that he was troubled by pain in his left side. The chances of Pattinson appearing again in this match now appear minimal, and he will be taken for scans to assess the problem this afternoon.

The most hostile and aggressive of Australia's crop of young fast bowlers, Pattinson has battled a succession of injuries since he first toured for the national side in India in 2010. A brilliant start to his Test career last summer was curtailed by a foot injury during the Sydney Test against India in January.

It was later revealed that Australia's selectors chose to play Pattinson in the SCG Test despite medical evidence that he was at high risk of suffering an injury due to his bowling workload up to that point. They preferred to keep him in the team due to his strong bowling form, and he duly suffered from a stress injury in Sydney.

Pattinson then returned to action during the West Indies tour, but while playing in the Trinidad Test suffered a back injury while throwing off balance from the outfield and was sent home. His lead-in to this summer's home Tests was carefully managed, affording him a quartet of Sheffield Shield matches and no Twenty20 cricket.

Before the Adelaide Test, Pattinson said he did not want to be rested, as his body felt free of niggles. "At the moment I've got no soreness in my body, so I want to keep playing, I don't want to get rested," he said. "But I suppose there'll come a time when I'll have a high workload and it'll look like I'm going to get rested as we've spoken about.

"I'm happy for that, I put the faith in the medical staff's hands and if they think it's a good idea for me to get rested one Test then so be it. We've got to want what's best for the team and if that's best for the team then so be it."

Taylor, Rainsford efforts in vain

Mid West Rhinos 151(Waller 78, Mushangwe 4-11) and 247(Taylor 133, Tiripano 4-76) lost to Mountaineers 299(Pettini 100, H Masakadza 78, Rainsford 8-42) and 100 for 2 (H Masakadza 47*, Rainsford 2-21) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Brendan Taylor scored an aggressive ton in Mid West Rhinos' second innings and Ed Rainsford picked up 10 wickets in the match, but a lack of support from the other batsmen meant the contributions went in vain as Mountaineers completed a comfortable eight-wicket win at Mutare Sports Club. Rhinos, who were 148 runs behind Mountaineers after the first innings, were put into early trouble in the second innings as Calum Price struck in his first, third and fourth overs to remove Rhinos' top three batsmen with 48 runs on the board. Another two wickets went down soon to put the Rhinos in danger of losing the match by an innings, but Taylor combined with Simon Mugava, who scored 28, in a 99-run sixth-wicket stand to briefly resurrect hopes of a turnaround. However, wickets started tumbling soon after Donald Tiripano broke the stand and Rhinos finished on 247, setting up an easy target of 100 for Mountaineers.

Hamilton Masakadza and Mark Pettini then took Mountaineers home with an unbeaten half-century partnership after Ed Rainsford had removed both the openers early.

In the end, it was Rhinos' first innings below-par total that was the difference between the two teams. Rhinos had chosen to bat first but lost six wickets for less than 50. Only Malcolm Waller, who scored 78, and Neville Madziva, who scored 39, were able to get into double-digit scores and it was their 98-run stand that gave some respectability to Rhinos' total. Natsai Mushangwe was the most successful bowler with 4 for 11. In response, Pettini scored a century and shared a 122-run stand with Masakadza, who scored 78, to set-up Mountaineers' total of 299 despite Ed Rainsford's eight-wicket haul, his best figures in first-class cricket.

Hampshire turn to George Bailey

George Bailey, Australia's Twenty20 captain, will play for Hampshire as their overseas player in 2013. The club have also agreed a new one-year deal with former South Africa batsman Neil McKenzie, who will be available as a Kolpak player in all competitions from June.

Hampshire, the reigning Friends Life t20 and Clydesdale Bank 40 champions, recently lost out on the services of Simon Katich, who has agreed to join Lancashire for next season. Bailey, the first Australian since the very first Test match in 1877 to make his debut as captain, averages nearly 40 in first-class cricket and will help fill the hole left by Katich.

Being based in England may also aid his international chances, with the Champions Trophy being held in the country, followed by the Ashes. Although Bailey has yet to feature in Test cricket, Australia's tour includes five ODIs and two T20 internationals, the first of which will take place at Hampshire's West End ground.

"I've heard a lot of good reports about Hampshire as a county and am really looking forward to playing there next year," Bailey said. "It's my first time playing for a county and the talks with Giles White have been very positive. I can see the guys did very well last year, and knowing that I'm joining a side that has tasted a lot of success in recent times but wants to get even better is a real attraction."

Bailey has previous experience of playing in England, having featured on Australia A's tour of England in 2012. He has also played for Scotland as their overseas player in domestic limited-overs competition, averaging 36.63 with one century, as well as an innings of 90 against Hampshire in 2010.

Hampshire manager, Giles White, said: "We are excited by the arrival of George, who fits the age profile of the squad well and adds further leadership and batting quality to the group. We hope that this is the start of an ongoing relationship and that he plays a part in shaping the future fortunes of the club."

McKenzie will also be part of Hampshire's squad, for the fourth year running. The 36-year-old was part of the team that won both domestic limited-overs competitions in 2012 and also played a crucial role in Hampshire's 2010 T20 success.

"I'm very happy to be returning to Hampshire next year," he said. "I always enjoy my time playing county cricket and the family has found a home from home in Southampton. We did pretty well this year but promotion to County Championship Division One is a priority and I'm sure we can do it."

There is no place for Bilal Shafayat in Hampshire's plans for next seasons, however. Having joined on a one-year contract after impressing on trial, Shafayat made 289 runs at 28.90 in eight Championship appearances and has not been retained.

Coyle to quit as Tasmania's coach

Tasmania's coach, Tim Coyle, will step down at the end of this season, ending a highly-successful seven-year tenure. Coyle took charge of the Tigers in 2005 after the departure of the previous coach Brian McFadyen and in 2006-07 delivered the state's first Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield title when they beat New South Wales in the final in Hobart.

Another Sheffield Shield title followed in 2010-11, and Coyle was also at the helm when Tasmania won the one-day competition in 2007-08 and 2009-10. Coyle, 52, said he felt that with his contract expiring at the end of this summer it was a good time for Tasmania to move on under a new mentor.

"I feel that the time is right for the Tigers to have a new voice and for me to finish up as head coach," Coyle said. "It's been a fantastic ride, and once the season finishes it is time for me to have some time away from the game and spend some more time with my family and friends."

Tony Harrison, the chairman of Cricket Tasmania, said Coyle's outstanding record spoke for itself and he had been a fine servant of Tasmanian cricket.

"Tim is passionate about what he believes in and much of that passion is for Cricket Tasmania, his teams and cricket in Tasmania, however we understand the time is now right for him to spend more time with his family and have a break," Harrison said. "Tim has nurtured many talented Tasmanian and interstate player from the junior ranks through to national representation and can be justifiably proud of these achievements along with the sustained success of the Tasmanian Tigers.

"Without doubt, Tim Coyle is the most successful current coach in Australian cricket and his contribution to our Association, State and players cannot be over-estimated. The current strength of Tasmanian cricket owes much to Tim Coyle and the culture he has developed and fostered, and we will do all we can to ensure that he remains part of our structure in the future."

Cricket Tasmania will spend the next few months searching for Coyle's replacement.

Morkel takes five as Australia make 550

Lunch South Africa 0 for 3 (Petersen 3*, Smith 0*) trail Australia 550 (Clarke 230, Warner 119, Hussey 103, Morkel 5-146) by 547 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Morne Morkel's first five-wicket haul against Australia ensured South Africa didn't endure another long day in the field as the hosts were dismissed for 550 shortly before lunch on the second day in Adelaide. South Africa's openers had to face four overs before the break and they got through unscathed, heading to lunch on 0 for 3 with Graeme Smith yet to score and Alviro Petersen on 3.

A mountain of work was ahead for South Africa, especially given that their most prolific batsman, Jacques Kallis, could not come in above No.7 in the order having left the field with a hamstring injury on the first morning. However, the South Africans could at least take heart from the fact that twice in the past decade, a team has lost having posted a 550-plus total batting first at Adelaide Oval - something that outside Adelaide has only happened once in Test history.

The Australians added 68 to their overnight score for the loss of their last five wickets and the majority of their runs came from the No.9 James Pattinson, who played some impressive strokes in reaching his best first-class score of 42. He crunched Dale Steyn for a pair of boundaries through the off side and cleared the rope twice off Imran Tahir before he was the last man out, edging Steyn to Graeme Smith at slip.

The day had started on a positive note for South Africa when Morkel bowled Clarke, who added only six to his overnight score and was dismissed for 230. The rewards kept coming for the hard-working Morkel when he had Matthew Wade caught behind for 6, trying to drive a delivery that angled across him, and his five-wicket haul arrived when Ben Hilfenhaus hooked a short ball and was caught at fine leg for a duck.

Morkel's previous best in an innings against Australia was three wickets, and he finished up with 5 for 146 from 30 overs, his workload having increased significantly due to Kallis being unavailable. There was also a moment of relief and joy for Rory Kleinveldt, who claimed his first Test wicket when he had Peter Siddle caught at slip for 6. The umpire called for a replay to check that Kleinveldt, a serial no-baller, had not over-stepped, and by a matter of millimetres his wicket stood.

Best injury set us back - Gibson

West Indies' bowling attack lacked fire after lunch in Khulna, when the fast bowler Tino Best left the field due to a hamstring injury. It was testified by the late surge by Bangladesh's ninth-wicket stand. West Indies coach Ottis Gibson believes Best's injury, which prevented him from bowling more than ten overs in the day, would stretch the rest of the attack.

"The team was missing Tino Best after lunch, it was a big blow for us," Gibson said. "The impact that Tino had on the last Test match, and then to come and miss him after lunch, was a bit of a blow for the guys. Everybody else had to dig a little bit deeper."

Fidel Edwards was one of the bowlers who dug deep. He claimed his twelfth five-wicket haul, and second against Bangladesh in consecutive Tests. His pace was enough to push Nazimuddin deep into the crease, in the third over of the morning, and allowed a catch to be fended to short leg. He was lucky to have Naeem Islam drag a wide delivery on to the stumps but his pace and movement accounted for Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Sohag Gazi.

After the Dhaka Test last year, and before this spell, Edwards took only nine wickets in 11 innings. As a result, he wasn't picked for the Tests at home against New Zealand in August and also wasn't part of the first choice in the first Test of this series. But Gibson praised his effort, particularly the manner of his comeback. "He is a quality performer. He was waiting in the side to come back. He proved the sort of bowler that he is," Gibson said.

Edwards said the wicket of Mushfiqur Rahim gave him a lot of satisfaction. "The captain [Mushfiqur Rahim] was starting to get set. He is the guy who can anchor the innings. Once we got him, we could push for more wickets. The wicket is really flat where the batsmen can get off to a flyer, so you have to bowl in good areas," he said.

The setback due to Best's injury was exacerbated by Sunil Narine's lacklustre display. He went wicketless for 19 overs on the day, after an ordinary showing in the first Test in which he picked up three late wickets in the first innings.

"He's a quality bowler, mostly in the one-day format. In Test matches he got 10-12 wickets in first two Test matches against New Zealand but he has found bowling here a bit difficult," Gibson said.

"He has played a lot of cricket in a short space of time in his career. We will help him to understand Test cricket. When he gets it right, he's a quality performer. He's having a bad time of it but all a coach can ask for is for a bowler to continue working hard in the nets and that's exactly what he's doing."

Bangladesh lost three wickets each in the first two sessions, and for a while after the tea break, they were down to the No. 10. Like everyone else, Gibson too was looking forward to a quick finish and then a short batting period before stumps.

"The guys should be a little disappointed with what has happened. We should have made more inroads. 190 for 8 represents a good day, and then the last session you have to give them credit.

"Young [Abul] Hasan obviously batted very well. He rode a little bit of luck up front. This is what happens in Test cricket, this is day one of five. It was a tough day for us."

Rain washes out Lions-Dolphins tie

Dolphins v Lions - Match abandoned
Scorecard

The game between Dolphins and Lions in Durban was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The rain at Kingsmead started soon after the toss, which was won by Dolphins. The match was called off after three hours by the umpires.

The teams were awarded two points each. Lions moved to 21 points, holding their No. 1 position in the table, and Dolphins were third. Lions play Titans, and Dolphins play Cape Cobras in their next match, on Friday.

BCCI ends legal tussle with Kings XI Punjab

On the day they announced a new title sponsor for the IPL, the BCCI has also brought an end to its litigation with Kings XI Punjab, which had gone on for almost two years.

The BCCI top brass and KXIP officials, who met in Mumbai on the sidelines of the BCCI working committee and marketing committee meetings, managed to sort out all the impending issues. "It was decided that the franchise will be fined Rs 1 crore (approx USD 181,270) for their breaches so far, and there will be no further legal proceedings between the parties," an insider revealed to ESPNcricinfo. This effectively means that the arbitration proceedings that hadn't started since the court appointed an arbitrator in April earlier this year, will not take off at all.

The legal tussle between the BCCI and the franchise owners had gone on from December 15, 2010 when the Bombay High Court had stayed the termination of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, the franchises who were terminated by the BCCI over alleged breach of franchisee agreements. While the litigation had not affected the Chandigarh-based team's participation in the fourth and fifth edition of the IPL, the team's future in the tournament was far from secure.

In October 2010, the BCCI had terminated the franchise agreement with KPH Dream Cricket Pvt Ltd, the promoters of KXIP, on two counts, according to the termination notice sent to the franchise. Firstly, for having "stepped into the shoes of the original bidder on the date of award of the Franchisee without being a "group company or entity controlled by the bidder". This transgression would shake very foundation of the tender process otherwise meant to eliminate any possibility of successful bids being converted into marketing opportunities even prior to the award of the Franchisee rights." Secondly, "Clear violation of the franchise agreement, more particularly clause 10.1, 10.2(a) and 10.3. These violations have taken place more than once."

However, the team owners moved the court after that and the termination was stayed by the Bombay High Court. The court then appointed an arbitrator to resolve the impending issues. As a result, there was a lot of confusion over the number of teams to have featured in the 2011 edition of the Twenty20 league. Eventually, the drama over KXIP's participation was over days before the player auction that was held in Bangalore in January 2011.

With this agreement, the BCCI has, within the space of a month, made several announcements that have bolstered the IPL's image both in public and in the market. In October, the Sun Group, a south Indian media conglomerate was announced as the new owners of the beleaguered Hyderabad franchise last month and on Wednesday, a new title sponsorship was awarded to PepsiCo.

Kallis injured after rattling top order

Lunch Australia 3 for 102 (Warner 67*, Clarke 18*, Kallis 2-19) v South Africa
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Jacques Kallis picked up wickets with two outstanding yorkers before limping off injured during an eventful opening session at Adelaide Oval. Morne Morkel also claimed one victim but while all the carnage was unfolding at one end, David Warner at the other end lived up to his promise to go after the South African bowlers and kept the runs flowing with a brisk half-century that helped Australia reach 3 for 102 at lunch.

By the time the break arrived, Warner and Michael Clarke had steadied somewhat, following a hectic period in which they lost 3 for 12 in less than three overs. Warner was on 67 from 79 balls, the majority of his runs having come from boundaries, and Clarke had survived some short-pitched hostility from Dale Steyn and Co - including one that crashed into his helmet - to reach 18, a couple of punchy boundaries through the leg side and a confident pull through midwicket his early highlights.

But it was South Africa who clearly had the better of the session after Clarke won the toss, their major concern being the injury to Kallis, who had 2 for 19 from 3.3 overs when he stopped during his run-up and immediately left the field. Kallis appeared to have hurt either his right hamstring or glute, and given that runners are no longer allowed in international cricket, the extent of his injury could have ramifications for South Africa's batting.

It also left them a bowler short, compounding their misfortune after Vernon Philander woke up with a sore back and was a late withdrawal from the side, replaced by Rory Kleinveldt. Kallis had been very impressive with the ball during his short spell, removing Ed Cowan and Ricky Ponting by attacking the base of the stumps.

On 10, Cowan was beaten by a Kallis yorker that struck him on the toe and at first appeared to have been given out lbw by Billy Bowden, but it later became apparent that he was caught and bowled. After the ball hit Cowan's foot, it ballooned off the bat straight back to Kallis, and under the laws of the game, a catch takes precedence over lbw in deciding how a batsman has been dismissed.

Kallis also accounted for Ponting with an outstanding delivery that was full and accurate, and swung away from the bat just enough to beat Ponting, who suffered the indignity not only of being bowled but of falling onto the pitch on his hands and knees after trying to keep the ball out. Ponting avoided another duck but only just - his only scoring shot was a clip for four off his pads.

In between the dismissals of Cowan and Ponting, the No.3 Rob Quiney fell for an eight-ball duck when Morne Morkel came around the wicket and forced Quiney to play a ball on off stump. Quiney's edge was well snapped up by Graeme Smith at slip and after his 9 in his only innings at the Gabba, Quiney was left hoping desperately that he would get another chance in this, his second Test.

While all of that was unfolding, Warner just kept scoring. He had got away with a pair of boundaries through and over the off side from Morkel, trusting his method of flashing hard. Not all of Warner's strokes were controlled but he ensured that Australia's innings did not stagnate, and his half-century came up from 47 balls with a clip for two through midwicket.

Warner's only six was a top edge from an attempted hook off Morkel that landed in the construction site and required a worker to scramble through the debris to fetch the ball. He also struck 10 fours and despite the early wickets, South Africa wouldn't feel entirely comfortable at lunch, knowing that he would remain a threat after the break.

'Reduce government interference in cricket' - Lorgat review

Haroon Lorgat, the former ICC Chief Executive, has recommended less government interference in team selection, in addition to 23 other recommendations to Sri Lanka Cricket, in his review of the sport in the country. Lorgat was appointed short-term special advisor to the SLC in July, and was tasked with performing a wide-ranging review of governance, cricket structure, administration and finances, of which his ten-page report is the result.   

Among the issues Lorgat raises in his report is the poor reputation of the SLC, its weak financial position, lack of professional administration, non-existent organisational culture and a lack of transparency. He also recommends a restructuring of domestic cricket, and recruiting the help of former greats in the development of cricketers.

After Lorgat had presented his report, SLC Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said it was now the job of the stakeholders - a wide ranging group including clubs, media, players and the SLC themselves - to implement Lorgat's recommendations.

"From my personal point of view, I feel all these recommendations need to be addressed by the stakeholders," Ranatunga said. "The improvements need to sit along with the stakeholders, and they need to come up with strategies to overcome it.

"The other option is to get an independent committee to come and look at this and come up with a solution."

The report's recommendations on reducing government interference focus on a law that requires international team selections to be approved by the Sports Minister, who also appoints a nominee to the selection panel. On the basis of responses from interviewees, the report inferred that the Minister appoints the entire selection panel. The report recommends SLC work towards an amendment to the law that might see a selection process free of government interference. It also suggests the SLC ensure independence for the selection committee, and consider having full time selectors.

Ranatunga said the board had already approached the Sports Minister about amending the Sports Law. "We have discussed this with the honourable Minister, and he was very positive about changing certain clauses in the Sports Law to accommodate this report. He was positive about the changes that are needed for the development of the game."

  Lorgat's report also said external or State support are essential to overcoming SLC's debt, and recommended borrowing through 'soft' loans. It also said operational plans, including player payments, needed careful review to ensure they are justifiable expenditures.

The report further states that the administration lacks clear vision, is poorly managed and notes a lack of adequate communication between various arms of SLC. It recommends a reduction in the number of Executive Committee members, which presently stands at 22, and suggests appointment of a CEO who is "properly empowered to lead a professional administration that is held accountable by the board" and is the face of the organisation.

Lorgat has also advised a major restructuring of domestic cricket aimed at decentralising first-class and List A cricket in Sri Lanka from Colombo, and believes dialogue with the existing clubs are vital to that end. The report also suggests former players whose relationship with SLC has soured should be utilised in the development of cricketing talent, after tensions between the parties have been cleared. Lorgat makes mention of former captain Arjuna Ranatunga in his report, who has been an ardent critic of SLC in the past two years, and states he was unable to contact Ranatunga during his research.   

"Unfortunately Mr. Ranatunga was busy, he was traveling and was in the UK on occasions. I am still trying even today to get in touch with him."

  Lorgat interviewed 42 stakeholders during his review, including current and former players, SLC staff, board members, club representatives and media.

Flower admits selection errors

Andy Flower has admitted that England made a mistake in not selecting Monty Panesar for the first Test of the series against India at Ahmedabad. England lost the Test by nine wickets after conceding a first innings deficit of 330 with Flower, the England team director, also conceding that he misread the pitch.

But Flower declined to confirm that England would alter the balance of their attack for the second Test, which begins in Mumbai on Friday. While he conceded that England's seamers had been out-performed by their Indian counterparts in Ahmedabad, he said the England team management will inspect the pitch before any selection decision is made. As things stand, Flower expects Mumbai to offer more assistance to the seamers and would only confirm that England would bring in a batsman to replace Ian Bell, who is absent on paternity leave.

"With hindsight yes, it was a mistake not to play Panesar in Ahmedabad," Flower said. "I didn't expect that pitch to turn as early as it did. In fact, once we saw it turning early in the game I thought it might deteriorate more and I was surprised on day four and five how well it played. I certainly misjudged that pitch.

"There might be a little more bounce in Mumbai which will help our seamers. Of course we have to bring in a batsman, but on any other changes I'd like to see the pitch first. Then I'll try to make a better judgment than the last one. If it looks as though it will turn a lot, we will contemplate two spinners.

"I don't think our seamers bowled as well as they could have and the skill with reverse swing and finding the right length to hit the pads is a particular skill. I think India did that better than we did. Their seamers out-bowled our seamers, but I also think we gave them a couple of soft dismissals."

England's attempts to square the series in Mumbai have been dealt a severe blow with the news that Steven Finn will not be fit to play in the second Test. Indeed, Finn undergoes a scan on Tuesday that will define whether he had any further part to play on the tour. Stuart Meaker, who was called into the squad when Finn was injured in the first warm-up game, will remain with them rather than joining the England Performance Programme squad.



	"This will not go down as one of his memorable Tests but he's got three more to contribute to winning games for England." Andy Flower sanguine about Kevin Pietersen's form

"Finn unfortunately hurt that same area of his thigh and he's having a scan," Flower said. "We don't think there's any structural damage, we need to check. If there is not he will go and join our performance programme. He'll rehab with them and they've got a three-day game starting on the 27th which is the last day of this Test. Hopefully we can get him in that and test him out and if he comes through well he'll be available for the third Test."

Flower conceded there was an air of predictability about England's troubles in India but, despite the side now having lost five out of six Tests in Asian conditions this year, said "he would like to think" there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the team or the team set-up. Instead he felt that the batsmen, in particular, were guilty of simple errors. He did not condemn India's decision to deny them quality spin bowling in the warm-up matches, though he did jokingly suggest that England would be unlikely to respond by providing only spin bowlers for India in their warm-up games on their next tour of England.

"We have to overturn what seems predictable the moment," he said. "There are some very basic things that we haven't done well enough and I hope I'm not making personal excuses here. I don't think it's anything to do with the environment, or team dynamics, or the way we train. I think that we have failed in a number of first innings and if you do that in the subcontinent you pay the price. That's the area where we have failed and I don't think we should over-complicate it. I hope there is no real reason why it should keep happening in the first innings.

"If we'd batted in the first innings like we batted in the second it might have been a different story. Those three wickets hurt us at the end of day two, obviously, and the ball turned quite sharply and quite quickly in that first innings. And there were a few soft dismissals which cost us."

Flower was keen to defend Kevin Pietersen, who, in his first Test since his recall, scored 19 runs in two innings and was twice dismissed by the left-arm spin of Pragyan Ojha, but Flower stressed the excellence of his long-term record.

"Look, Kevin's a very fine cricketer and he has 21 Test centuries," Flower said. "This will not go down as one of his memorable Tests, of course, but he's got three more Tests to contribute to winning games for England.

"In this last Test the left-arm spinner got him out twice and he obviously struggled against him. But, only a few Tests ago against Sri Lanka, he scored a magnificent 150 and they had a reasonable left-arm spinner playing in subcontinent conditions. The method he used there was a very successful one. I'm not just talking about his very attacking method but his defensive one too. He's a very experienced cricketer and I trust he'll bring that experience to bear in the next Test match."

Australia carry stronger form to Adelaide

Match facts

November 22-26, Adelaide Oval
Start time 1030 (0000 GMT)

Big Picture

Australia and South Africa don't do draws. But for a Saturday completely lost to rain, that trend may well have continued at the Gabba. Instead, the teams have headed to Adelaide still locked at 0-0, although Australia took more positives from the Brisbane Test. After a disappointing first day on which their bowlers took only two wickets, they fought back to be in the prime position on the final day, but time ran out for them to manufacture a result. All the same, they will head in to the second Test knowing that Ed Cowan has proven himself a Test-quality opener, Michael Clarke's monumental 2012 has shown no signs of ending early, Michael Hussey has broken a seven-year century drought against South Africa, and most of the bowlers found form as the Gabba Test played out. David Warner remains a slight concern at the top of the order but in the main things are simmering away nicely in the Australian setup.

For South Africa, there wasn't much to like about the Gabba Test apart from the continued brilliance of Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis. Alviro Petersen showed why he should not be underestimated on the first day with 64, but that was about it. Questions remain around whether Jacques Rudolph offers enough value; since his return to the side last November he has played 12 Tests for one century. But more than the batting it was South Africa's bowling that left much to be desired at the Gabba. Perhaps they expected the pitch, by reputation a seamer but in reality a true surface, to do the work for them. Whatever the case, that they allowed 487 runs to pass between bowlers' wickets - Cowan's run-out was the only breakthrough on the fourth day - was a massive problem. Vernon Philander lacked impact, Dale Steyn showed only glimpses of his best and Morne Morkel needs to curb his habit of over-stepping on crucial deliveries. Not that any of these issues concerned the coach Gary Kirsten enough to encourage him to spend every day working with the squad between Tests; instead he flew home for a whistle-stop trip to see his wife and children.

At Adelaide Oval, the teams will again be greeted by a good batting surface. Life won't be easy for the fast men early on but the pitch will wear and provide some uneven bounce and help for the spinners later on. During the 1980s the venue had the reputation of being a ground where draws were almost inevitable but that is no longer a fair assessment, and only three of the past 20 Adelaide Tests have failed to find a winner. If that trend continues this year, whichever team comes out on top cannot lose the series. And if it's South Africa, the No.1 ranking will be out of Australia's reach.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Australia DWDWW
South Africa DWDWD

In the spotlight

South Africa's batsmen tried to belt Nathan Lyon out of the attack at the Gabba but he kept his nerve, continued to flight the ball and picked up two wickets in each innings, as well as having a skied catch put down off his bowling. A 25-over spell on the third day helped Lyon get back into his rhythm after some undemanding Sheffield Shield work in the lead-up, and at his home venue of Adelaide Oval, where he took five wickets against India last summer, he will be a key man as the pitch deteriorates. With Shane Watson unable to bowl even if he does play, Lyon will again be asked to bowl some long spells to give the fast men some rest.

Vernon Philander had so much success in his first ten Test matches that it was a major surprise that he went wicketless at the Gabba, having also failed to claim a victim the tour match in Sydney. At times in Brisbane the Australians found it a little too easy to leave Philander's deliveries alone and on a pitch like Adelaide, which won't offer the bowlers much apart from perhaps some variable bounce as the game wears on, he will need to make the batsmen play more often.

Team news

Australia are unchanged from Brisbane, with Shane Watson's bid to play as a batsman ending predictably on match eve. Ben Hilfenhaus retains his spot ahead of Mitchell Starc, and Rob Quiney has another Test to prove himself at No. 3.

Australia 1 Ed Cowan, 2 David Warner, 3 Rob Quiney, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Nathan Lyon.

JP Duminy's injury meant South Africa had to make at least one change from the Gabba side and it has been confirmed that Faf du Plessis will make his debut in Adelaide. Imran Tahir has also been named and will replace Rory Kleinveldt in the starting XI.

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Jacques Rudolph, 7 Faf du Plessis, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran Tahir.

Pitch and conditions

Like the Gabba, the Adelaide Oval surface should provide plenty of runs early in the match, but it is also likely to deteriorate as the game wears on, which will bring the spinners into play. The forecast for the duration of the match is hot and sunny.

Stats and trivia

The Gabba match was the first draw between these two sides in 14 Tests, the previous one having come at the WACA in December 2005. The teams haven't drawn two consecutive Tests since 1921
Michael Hussey is in line to play his 75th consecutive Test since his debut in November 2005, but AB de Villiers is in the midst of an even better run and should step out for his 79th consecutive Test since his debut in 2004
The only member of South Africa's side who has played Test cricket at Adelaide Oval is Jacques Kallis, who in two matches there has scored 15, 15, 5 and 65 not out
Ricky Ponting has scored more runs at Adelaide Oval than any other Test venue, 1723 at an average of 63.81

Quotes

"I think the players can take confidence from the way we performed and improved in that Test match, but it doesn't guarantee much. Like words, it doesn't really matter what you say it's what you do and we need to have that attitude and make sure come tomorrow we're 100% ready for that first delivery whether we're batting or bowling."
Michael Clarke

"The changeroom attendant said the one thing you can expect is the same Adelaide wicket. It will probably get drier as the game goes on. It's got a good grass covering. The field is looking really good. The square is probably the greenest I have seen it in a long time."
Graeme Smith

Clarke insists Watson saga no distraction

Australia's captain Michael Clarke has denied the saga surrounding Shane Watson's futile attempt to be fit for the Adelaide Test is a distraction for the team as they attempt to claim a 1-0 lead in the series against South Africa. Watson was predictably ruled out on Wednesday morning after a series of fitness tests showed he was not yet close to full readiness for the rigours of a five-day match, even if he were to play as a batsman only.

Clarke's announcement of an unchanged Australian XI for the second Test ended any doubt in the mind of the No.3 batsman Rob Quiney, who took Watson's place in Brisbane but has spent three days in Adelaide unsure of whether he would be playing or not. David Warner, too, has not been entirely certain of his spot after the national selector john Inverarity refused to guarantee it when he named Watson in a 13-man group for Adelaide. However Clarke was adamant the episode had not affected his team's focus.

"I think the intent was great that Watto plus support staff, plus the team want him back out on the park, want him playing because we know how important he is to our group as a player," Clarke said. "I just think we've given Watto every chance and we feel, support staff, selectors and Shane as well, probably feels he's a few days short of being at his best. I don't think the speculation has had any impact on the team. The guys have all gone about their work as well as they can. Rob Quiney still did all his preparation, so I don't think it's had an effect on the team."

There have been rumblings for some time of various differences of opinion between Clarke and Watson, his vice-captain, most revolving around the allrounder's choice of preparation for Test assignments and the role he is to fulfil when on them. Clarke seemed intent on scotching this particular brand of chatter, damaging as it can be to have words circulating widely that the captain and his deputy speak with something less than the same voice.

"We have a great relationship firstly, I know there's been talk of that being a bit different, but Watto and I, our friendship and our professional relationship when it comes to captain and vice-captain is as close as I can certainly ask for," Clarke said. "We spoke daily, even before we flew to Adelaide as a team, and I was kept well and truly in the loop of where he was at preparation wise. Once we got here our intent was to give Watto every single chance as a very important player and vice-captain to play in this Test match, but unfortunately we've just run out of time.

"Watto sees himself as an allrounder, he wants to be an allrounder. He knows the impact he has in this game with both bat and ball and he's a huge part of our squad when he's doing both very well. Our plans are to try to get him to 100% as quick as we can, knowing we've got eight days now before the third Test in Perth."

The other major decision Clarke and his fellow selectors had to make revolved around the balance of the bowling attack. Ultimately Clarke settled on an unchanged quartet of Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Lyon, leaving Mitchell Starc carrying the drinks in Adelaide but favoured to be included for the third Test in Perth.

Hilfenhaus had notable technical struggles in Brisbane, his arm low and his action not as precise as it had been when he was so successful last summer. But Clarke said he felt enough improvement from Hilfenhaus and his fellow pacemen as the Gabba Test unfolded to choose them again for Adelaide. Starc's control over the red ball is improving with every innings, but it was also reasoned that the steadier Hilfenhaus will be more capable of bowling maidens on request during stretches of the Adelaide match that may be devoid of assistance through the air or off the pitch.

"We had a lot of success last summer, there was rain in Brisbane but after day one I thought the bowlers came back really well," Clarke said. "We took 14 of the South African wickets and they only took five of ours. I think we've got a good mixture of aggression but also bowlers who can bowl long spells and dry runs up if required on that wicket. Generally at Adelaide there are periods of the game where you have to bowl quite tight. As a bowling unit throughout that whole first Test we improved and I'm confident as a team we'll be better for the hit-out in Brisbane and come out and perform better.

"There was certainly talk about Starcy coming into the XI, he's performed really well for NSW, he's been bowling beautifully in the shorter form of the game and in the nets as well. I just think we feel at the moment our attack improved as the game went on in Brisbane. There were a few nerves in on day one and it was our first game together as a team for quite a while, so I think everyone will be better for that."

Kent 'heard nothing' of Sussex approach

Kent have said they were not aware of the recent match fixing allegations regarding their CB40 match against Sussex in 2011 until the claims were made in a newly published book.

Bookie, Gambler, Fixer Spy: A Journey to the Corrupt Heart of Cricket's Underworld, claims to reveal details of match-fixing in cricket, including an approach made to Sussex players to fix a CB40 match against Kent at Hove, which was televised live.

Sussex admitted their players were approached and a report was made to the ECB. An internal investigation was also held where no evidence of wrongdoing was found. Kent have stated the publication of the book was the first they heard of the incident.

"We'd actually heard nothing," chairman of cricket Graham Johnson said. "When it came out in the press that was the first Kent were aware of it. Sussex said they were looking into certain things and it was internal. We've said is there anything you need from us but they said it's internal and dealt with."

Commenting on the dangers of corruption in county cricket, Johnson added, "Obviously history tells us that if stuff starts getting televised in the subcontinent it raises the profile and the potential for that to happen."

Kent chief executive Jamie Clifford admitted the recent allegations had shown the dangers of match and spot fixing. "You've got the issues relating to players at Essex and now the revelations from Sussex about players being approached. Those are two of our neighbouring counties so I think we'd be naïve to say 'oh we don't think there's any problem'. We have to be alive to the dangers."

Clifford also explained the steps the club was taking against corruption. "Our staff, both playing and off-field are briefed regularly about the potential that exists in relation to match and spot fixing and urged to be extremely vigilant in that regard. They know very clearly that as a club there's no way we'd tolerate any involvement of any individual in something like that. The onus is on them if they're approached to make it clear to us at a very early stage that that has happened."

Pandey, Ojha help Madhya Pradesh to safety

Madhya Pradesh 256 (Bundela 53, Rameez 54, Rajan 45, Pankaj 4-63, Rituraj 4-68) and 200 for 1 (Ojha 102*, Zafar 54) lead Rajasthan 379 (Parida 108, Bist 85, Khatri 47*, Pandey 6-92) by 77 runs
Scorecard

After being outplayed on the first two days in Jaipur, Madhya Pradesh ended the third in a better position by restricting Rajasthan's first-innings lead to 123, and then setting up a strong second innings. They may now escape with a draw, and not suffer outright defeat.

Fast bowler Ishwar Pandey and wicketkeeper-opener Naman Ojha made MP's recovery possible. Rajasthan were dismissed 379 due to Pandey's six-wicket haul, and then Ojha's unbeaten century took MP to 200 for 1 at stumps, ahead by 77. With the green wicket not offering much assistance to the bowlers, and without a quality spinner, Rajasthan may find it difficult to force a result on the final day.

Pandey had taken four wickets on the second day, including those of stand-in captain Vineet Saxena, Ashok Menaria and centurion Rashmi Parida. He claimed two more on the third morning. Resuming at 306 for 6, wicketkeeper Sidhant Yagnik and Madhur Khatri began the day well for Rajasthan, hitting four boundaries in four overs. But then Pandey settled into a nagging line to left-hand batsman Yagnik, who edged one in the ninth over of the day to keeper Ojha.

Before Rituraj Singh could get his eye in, Pandey put in some extra effort, and the additional bounce had Rituraj edging his delivery to Zafar Ali at second slip. Though Khatri, primarily in the side as an offspinner, played an effortless knock, he ran out of partners on 47 when Anand Rajan bowled last man Aniket Choudhury to earn his 100th first-class wicket.

Rajasthan's lead wasn't a small one, especially with more than a day and a half remaining in the game. After a disastrous performance by MP's top order on the opening day, when they were reduced to 71 for 5 in the first session, the openers had to come good to earn one point. Ojha and Ali learnt from their first-innings mistakes to put on 134 before Ali was trapped lbw by Rituraj.

Ojha, however, was the star of the day. In the first innings, he had poked at and edged a delivery that moved away from off stump. This time, Ojha didn't flash his bat outside off for the first hour. He preferred to leave as many balls as he could.

Ojha didn't go into a shell either; he chose the balls he wanted to score off. Soon after he reached his fifty, he went after the part-time spinner Ashok Menaria, hitting two sixes over long-off and cutting to the point boundary. In the next over, however, Ali was dismissed. With Pankaj Singh and Rituraj steaming in, Ojha, batting on 78, defended for the next hour.

Only in the last over of the day, when Khatri was brought on, did Ojha attack again. He stepped out to hit a six over long-off and then swept the next ball through square leg for a boundary to raise his ninth first-class century.

"[Ojha] was terribly disappointed after being dismissed in that manner (in the first innings)," MP coach Mukesh Sahani said. "We had a chat about it. He realised that he hadn't justified his position of being among the senior players in the team by getting out in that manner. It was heartening to see him rectifying it."

Despite playing first-class cricket for 12 years, Ojha has not fulfilled his batting potential "I haven't converted as many starts into hundreds as I should have but over the last few years, I have realised the need for scoring big hundreds and have been working towards it," Ojha said. "Since I came to the Ranji Trophy days after playing the Champions League [for Delhi Daredevils], it took time for me to switch into the first-class mode. But now that I have, I hope I can continue for the rest of the season."

After stumps, most of the MP squad played a game of football until the light faded, unlike other days. Though the team had conceded three points with the first-innings lead, their relieved faces indicated that their primary objective at the start of the penultimate day - to avoid being in a position to concede an outright victory to Rajasthan - had been achieved.

Delhi lay ground for first-innings battle

Delhi 215 for 3 (Mohit 71, Unmukt 51) trail Baroda 561 (Rayudu 131, Chauhan 113, Panchal 80, Gagandeep 76, Awana 4-104) by 346 runs
Scorecard

Delhi laid the base for a strong reply to Baroda's 561, setting up a fight for the first-innings lead on the final day at Feroz Shah Kotla. Half-centuries by Mohit Sharma, who was playing his second first-class game, and Unmukt Chand led the hosts to 215 for 3 at stumps. They need 347 more to earn three points.

Having batted for 168 overs in two days, Baroda chose not to declare and played another 10 overs before being dismissed for 561. Resuming on 525 for 7, Ketan Panchal and Gagandeep Singh, who were batting on 72 and 70 respectively, added little to their overnight scores as seamer Parvinder Awana claimed their wickets quickly.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan started Delhi's innings aggressively, but Baroda captain Ambati Rayudu set a defensive field to counter it. When left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt bowled to Mohit, there was a long leg, a deep midwicket and long-on to stop the boundaries.

After fast bowler Murtuja Vahora dismissed Dhawan for 30, Mohit played patiently and added 87 with Unmukt. Unmukt played a lot of drives, but due to the presence of a sweeper cover, many of them were singles. The stand was broken when Bhatt got a delivery to pitch on middle-stump line and turn to clip the off bail. Unmukt seemed disappointed and reluctant to leave the crease.

Mohit added 78 runs with Mithun Manhas, playing smartly to take singles and doubles to negate the defensive field. Seamer Firdaush Bhaja trapped Mohit lbw 5.4 overs before stumps.

Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya wanted his batsmen to score more after getting set, because it will not be easy for the hosts to chase Baroda's score successfully on a slow pitch. With fading light not allowing the required number of overs to be bowled in the day, there is also a possibility of a draw without two completed innings.

England to look at selection - Cook

Alastair Cook admitted England would have to reflect on the selection of their side after succumbing to a nine-wicket loss against India in the first Test in Ahmedabad.

England's bowling attack, with three frontline seamers and one specialist spinner, looked ill-suited for a Test played on a low, slow wicket, with the seamers claiming 1 for 254 in the match.

Their batsmen also struggled and, in eight innings between them, England's middle-order of Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Samit Patel contributed just 68 runs. By contrast, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 247 runs in the match without being dismissed and India's two spinners claimed 13 wickets between them.

While Cook admitted the problem, in part, was simply that several players had underperformed, he also conceded that the team management would have to reconsider the make-up and balance of the side ahead of the second Test which begins in Mumbai on Friday.

"Clearly we're going to have to look at our selection," Cook said. "There are some good people making decisions in this England team and we thought we were doing the right thing for the side. The result showed we might have got it wrong. When you get beaten by nine wickets, you have a look at a lot of areas and we have to look at what we could have done better. There will be a lot to ponder. We'll have to look at our squad for the next game."

The omission of left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has been highlighted as a key error by many critics but Cook felt the failure of England's batting line-up in the first innings was more of an issue. He refuted any suggestion that England had been underprepared, but accepted that they would require far more of the team to contribute if they were to fight their way back in the series.

"Our batting, especially in the first innings, didn't deliver enough runs," Cook said. "I thought it was a very good cricket wicket. There was a little bit in it for the spinners, but if you applied yourself with the bat it held together probably better than we thought it would. It was turning, yes. But runs were able to be had out there, as we showed in our second innings.

"If we're going to win out here, everyone in the game has to contribute. We need everyone to stick their hands up at certain times. The lads who haven't performed as well as they would have liked in this game will be very disappointed. We showed a lot of character in that second half of the game. There are a lot of quality players in that dressing-room, with very good records who have scored hundreds against every attack in the world. They didn't deliver in this game, and they know that. The middle order didn't score enough runs. Everyone has to have a look at themselves if we want to take something out of this series."

The defeat means England have lost five out of six Tests in Asian conditions this year, leaving Cook to agree that mental scars might be as large an impediment to progress as technical deficiencies. "I'd say it's a bit of both. Clearly, there are always technical issues before the mental ones kick in. We're doing the right things. It's now getting it right out in the middle and trusting our method there. We can only continue working as hard as we are doing, and I can't fault the lads for that. It's a case of working as hard as we can in the nets, and trusting our method out in the middle."

Cook also said the result had soured the memory of one of his finest innings. "I'm very happy with the way I batted," he said. "To score any hundred for England is very special and to score one in that situation probably made it even more special for me.

"Technically, it might have been a good innings. But you always get more satisfaction when you do it in a winning cause or to save a game. Maybe the 230 in Brisbane, in a similar match situation, is a better innings. But the result is what really matters and we weren't good enough over the five days to win. I'd have been even prouder if I'd survived and dragged a draw out of it. I'm bitterly disappointed."

Parida century gives Rajasthan the lead

Rajasthan 306 for 6 (Parida 108, Bist 85, Pandey 4-65) lead Madhya Pradesh 256 (Bundela 53, Rameez 54, Rituraj 4-68, Pankaj 4-63) by 50 runs
Scorecard

Rashmi Parida has been playing domestic cricket since the mid-1990s and during that time he has grown used to being the unsung hero. Whether for his home team Orissa or for the adopted Rajasthan, Parida's contributions in the middle order have usually been overshadowed by those of his team-mates.

When Parida was holding one end up for Orissa for 15 seasons, he was playing second fiddle to the likes of Pravanjan Mullick and SS Das. And when he joined Rajasthan as a professional, his two professional colleagues Aakash Chopra and skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar walked away with much of the credit for their rags-to-riches story in the last two seasons.

One of the few times Parida got his due was during the 2010-11 final, when his 56 and 89 earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. But even though he doesn't make headlines as much he should, Parida has been Rajasthan's go-to man over the last three years. And he did his reputation no harm by scoring his 16th first-class century on the second day of Rajasthan's Group A match against Madhya Pradesh at the KL Saini stadium in Jaipur.

With Chopra having ended his association with Rajasthan after two years, and the captain Kanitkar missing the game because of a calf strain, it was up to Parida to help Rajasthan overhaul MP's first innings total of 256 and keep them in the hunt for a much-needed outright victory. Along with contributions from his team-mates, especially Robin Bist who made 85, Parida did his job to near-perfection. He was dismissed for 108 in the penultimate over of the day, and Rajasthan finished on 306 for 6, ahead by 50 runs.

After Vineet Saxena and Robin Bist had begun Rajasthan's recovery from 7 for 1, the stand-in captain Saxena was trapped lbw by Ishwar Pandey, who was the pick of the MP bowlers, around an hour before lunch. Two balls later Ashok Menaria fished at one that was pitched slightly outside off to offer a regulation catch to wicketkeeper Naman Ojha.

At 87 for 3, Parida joined his Air India junior Bist. With a rookie batsman, a wicketkeeper and a long tail to follow, Rajasthan needed significant contributions from both batsmen, and they delivered.

"The manner in which Paddy bhai [Parida] started off took all the pressure off me. He bats with such ease that it just makes you feel how easy batting is," Bist said. "He bats in a manner like, ball ko chot na lag jaaye [the ball shouldn't get hurt]."

Even after Bist was caught down the leg side off Anand Rajan, Parida continued to flourish. Puneet Yadav was getting a rare outing due to Kanitkar's injury and Rajasthan were still 85 runs adrift of the lead. Parida not only gave his young partner confidence but also took pressure off him by going after the bowlers a bit. After playing some fluent cuts, Yadav was dismissed against the run of play when Anand Singh caught at well-timed flick at forward short leg.

Though his partners kept changing, Parida continued towards a deserving century. And when he finally got there, with a push to mid-off for a single, Parida was cheered loudly and given a standing ovation by his team-mates. He had failed to score one last season, despite having scored more than 500 runs. "The fact that I couldn't score a century last season was playing on my mind all along," he said. "It's good that the monkey is off the back early in the season."

Baroda continue to pile on the runs

Baroda 525 for 7 (Rayudu 131*, Chauhan 113, Panchal 72*) v Delhi
Scorecard

Baroda, led by centuries from captain Ambati Rayudu and Abhimanyu Chauhan, continued to pile on the runs against a listless Delhi attack, reaching 525 for seven at stumps on the second day. There were no signs of declaration and it now seems a foregone conclusion that the visitors will be playing for three points on a track that is getting slower. Baroda will back themselves, given Delhi's inconsistent batting over the last two games.

Rayudu and Chauhan laid the foundation for a big score, and were backed by important contributions from the lower middle-order batsmen. Gagandeep Singh entertained the small Sunday crowd with some big hits while Ketan Panchal also batted sensibly, putting on 126 runs for the eighth wicket. Together, Gagandeep and Panchal hit half a dozen sixes and 14 fours.

The eighth-wicket partnership further hurt the Delhi bowlers, who had been deflated by the benign Feroz Shah Kotla surface. Rayudu has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and he notched up his 13th first-class century. Chauhan, who put on a 213-run stand with Rayudu, batted in a manner reminiscent of Wasim Jaffer, with his confident on-side strokeplay, and reached his second successive century this season.

For Delhi, it was a pity that seamer Parvinder Awana, who worked up brisk pace and used variations effectively, picked up only two wickets in 32 overs. The delivery with which he dismissed Rayudu was a beauty. It pitched on the leg and middle line and completely squared up the batsman, who lost his middle stump.

Rajat Bhatia was economical but his wicket-to-wicket bowling yielded just one wicket on the second day. Pawan Suyal strived for extra pace, and was targeted by Rayudu.

Manan Sharma's performance left much to be desired. His left-arm spin was taken on by Gagandeep and Panchal, who gave him the charge repeatedly. The ball was keeping low and one expected him to use the arm ball, but it seemed he didn't.

Baroda have a sizeable score and they could go on for more, but Delhi, too, have batsmen who can bat big and bat long. Shikhar Dhawan and Mithun Manhas are among them.

Seamers caught us by surprise - Ford

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has said the swing New Zealand's seam bowlers generated caught Sri Lanka by surprise on the second morning in Galle. Tim Southee reaped three wickets for 18 from his first spell of seven overs, while Trent Boult took the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara at the other end. Both bowlers moved the ball considerably, with Southee, in particular, finding vicious swing in the air in addition to deviation off the seam.

Sri Lanka resumed on 9 for 1, after debutant left hander Dimuth Karunaratne had been trapped in front for a duck by a Southee inswinger the previous evening, and they were reduced to 50 for 5 inside the first hour on day two. The other opener, Tharanga Paranavitana was also dismissed for zero, and neither nightwatchman Suraj Randiv, nor Kumar Sangakkara made it out of single-figures.

"This morning they swung it considerably and more than we expected," Ford said. "It was a lovely clear morning and we didn't think it would move as much as it did, when they bowled. It perhaps did catch us a little bit by surprise."

Despite bowling which often bordered on unplayable, Sri Lanka found regular boundaries in the first hour and maintained a much better run rate than New Zealand did during their innings on day one. Ford said the hosts had not been too aggressive in their approach during the opening spell.

"It's always easy to say that they could have played tighter, sitting on the sidelines, but everybody who watched closely realised they did bowl very well.

"It's a fine balance. If you can get a few balls away, it changes their length and once they change their length they don't swing it much. You can't just be negative about the way you play. You've still got to look for scoring options. I think we stayed positive in our play."

Sri Lanka recovered through a 156-run partnership between Angelo Mathews and Mahela Jayawardene, as the pair saw out the swinging new ball and batted through the second session. When they were only five wickets down and 15 runs behind New Zealand's first-innings score, Sri Lanka might have had their sights set on a large first innings lead, but Mathews' demise heralded another poor period for Sri Lanka, and they finished only 26 runs ahead in the first innings.

"We would have been certainly happy for a bigger lead but again you can't be greedy when you are 20-4 and 50-5. At that stage you think you're going to be a little bit behind. We've got to be grateful for the work the guys did, and we've got to give credit to New Zealand who did bowl fantastically well up front and kept the pressure on the whole way through the innings.

"It was a brilliant fightback by Mahela and Angelo which has got us right into the game, and we've everything to play for in the morning. The game's very even at the moment."

New Zealand finished the day nine runs in the lead, with nine wickets in hand, and Ford said his side had not worked out a maximum target that it would like to chase in the fourth innings. "At this stage it's about making sure that disciplines and our skills are really good with the ball. We have to bowl really well and we have to make New Zealand fight really hard for every single run they want to set for us to chase. At this stage it's more about taking it one session at a time looking at the big picture."

Bowlers lead Cobras to crushing win

Cape Cobras 95 for 0 (Levi 52*, Puttick 35*) beat Knights 94 (Kemp 4-20, Louw 2-13, Langeveldt 2-17) by ten wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An impressive combined bowling performance by Cobras, led by allrounder Justin Kemp's four wickets, took them to a 10-wicket win against Knights in Paarl. After bowling Knights out for 94, opener Richard Levi struck a quick, unbeaten half-century to take them home in ten overs.

Cobras, after being asked to field, put their opponents under pressure from the first over itself through an effective spell of swing bowling in helpful conditions by seamers Charl Langeveldt and Johann Louw. Langeveldt struck in the first over, inducing an edge to the keeper off his third delivery. By the seventh over, two more wickets had fallen and Knights were struggling at 14 for 3.

Kemp started to make his presence felt when he was introduced in the 12th over. He immediately dismissed No. 3 Rilee Rossouw, and then ran through the middle order to crush the chances of a fightback by Knights. By the 28th over, Knights had lost their eighth wicket, that of Johann van der Wath. This was Knights' lowest total in List A cricket.

Openers Levi and Andrew Puttick played aggressively to go past the target in the 11th over. Levi scored 52 off 33 deliveries, with eight fours and two sixes.

With the emphatic win, Cobras gained a bonus point.

Titans 273 for 8 (Behardien 99, Morkel 66, Kuhn 59, Birch 3-53) beat Warriors 268 for 9 (Jacobs 63, Parnell 48, Thyssen 46, Richards 3-49) by five runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

In a tight contest in Port Elizabeth, Warriors put on a spirited fight in their chase of 274, but lost by four runs to Titans. Middle-order batsman Craig Thyssen scored 46 off 35 balls and was guiding his team towards the target in the final overs, but needing 6 off 2 deliveries for victory, he was caught at long-on. No. 11 Makhaya Ntini was run out amid confusion off the next ball. Left-arm seamer Rowan Richards bowled a miserly final over, conceding three runs.

Warriors began their chase poorly, losing opener Michael Price for a duck off the second delivery of the innings. At 90 for 4, the captain and wicketkeeper Davy Jacobs, who scored 63, and Wayne Parnell put on a 98-run stand to keep their team's hopes alive.

Four wickets then fell quickly to peg them back. At 206 for 8, the contest looked to be over, but Thyssen, with a quick, responsible knock, almost took them to the target. He dominated the strike, with the No. 10 batsman Basheeru-Deen Walters at the other end. Needing 18 off 12, and then 9 off the last six, Warriors fell short in a tight last over by Richards.

Titans' innings followed a different pattern. After being reduced to 9 for 2 through seamer Andrew Birch's strikes, they reached 273 thanks to two big partnerships. Opener Heino Kuhn added 64 with captain Martin van Jaarsveld. But the bedrock of the innings was the 129-run partnership between Albie Morkel and Farhaan Behardien, who fell for 99.

Kuhn, who had scored a century against Knights in Centurion a week ago, is now among the highest run-getters of the competition.

We needed to bat more positively - McCullum

New Zealand opener Brendon McCullum believed an early burst of wickets and tight bowling in the afternoon session from Sri Lanka's spinners cornered the visitors into reticence on day one, despite having suggested they would target Sri Lanka's bowling before the match. The captain Ross Taylor had said his side would look to employ a belligerent approach against spin in the first Test, but New Zealand were cautious throughout much of their innings, scoring at only 2.66 in the 82.5 overs they faced.

Shaminda Eranga dismissed Martin Guptill and Kane Willamson in the sixth over, before Taylor fell to Nuwan Kulasekara in the ninth to leave New Zealand at 40 for 3, leaving McCullum and Daniel Flynn little choice but to rebuild steadily. Their partnership of 90 - New Zealand's highest of the day - came in 198 deliveries, before scoring almost ground to a standstill in the second session after McCullum departed.

"Our mindset was still very much being aware of the fact that the ball was turning, and the game situation as well played on our minds as we were 3 for 60 when spin came on," McCullum said at the end of the day's play. "Until my dismissal we were going pretty well. At that point Rangana Herath, who is a very good bowler, managed to seize the initiative and prize out some wickets from us. They probably looked up at the scoreboard after I got out and saw an opportunity where it was pretty delicately poised and I think they stepped up really well during that stage and put a lot of pressure on."  

Flynn and James Franklin progressed at less than a run an over during their 13-over association, with Franklin making 3 from 43 deliveries. None of New Zealand's batsmen who made more than a dozen runs had a strike rate of more than 60, and the highest economy rate among the Sri Lanka's bowlers was 3.66 for Angelo Mathews, who only delivered three overs.

"From our point of view, when we are under pressure, we probably need to be more positive and grab the situation rather than let the opposition dictate terms," McCullum said. "I thought Daniel and myself were efficient against them. We were picking them up nicely and attacking the balls that they did miss on. We were putting them under pressure for periods of time, we just weren't able to do that for long enough."  

Herath and Randiv bowled 51 overs between them for 127 runs, inducing plenty of turn from the Galle pitch despite it being the first day of the Test. Randiv was instrumental in subduing Flynn and Franklin during their partnership, as he spun it sharply away from both left handers from around the wicket, and Herath finished the innings with 5 wickets for 65 - his fourth five-wicket haul in as many matches at the venue. McCullum however, did not fault the surface for a New Zealand batting performance he described as disappointing.

"Absolutely no blame on the pitch. At Galle when you win the toss and bat first, you're after a total in excess of 400. We weren't able to do that today, but I thought the pitch was good. It turned a lot more than we probably anticipated it would on day one of a Test match, but that's what you expect when you come over to the subcontinent.  

"It didn't turn and bite, it was slow turn and we expect that that turn will become quicker as the Test goes on and we've got Jeetan and a couple of other guys who can bowl spin. With our seamers, our ability to reverse swing the ball, which we saw from some of their guys today, will probably be our main weapon of attack."  

The first Test began just five days after the limited-overs leg of the tour finished, but McCullum said the lack of time for a warm-up match had not affected New Zealand's batting greatly.   

"In this day and age you get used to having to chop and change between various formats. Over half our squad have been at home playing four-day cricket as well, so they're very well prepared. The rest of us are pretty adaptable in terms of having to change between formats."   

New Zealand picked three seam bowlers in their attack, and will rely on wickets with the new ball to prevent Sri Lanka from taking a first-innings lead. Tim Southee and Trent Boult swung the ball considerably in five overs near the close of day one, with Southee removing debutant Dimuth Karunaratne for a duck with a hooping inswinger.   

"We've got a big first hour in the morning to try and expose the Sri Lankan middle order and if we can do that, today's misfortune will be a little bit easier to handle," McCullum said.

Pankaj and Rituraj run through Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh 256 (Bundela 53, Rameez 54, Rituraj 4-68, Pankaj 4-63) v Rajasthan
Scorecard

Pankaj Singh, 27, has been on the domestic circuit for nine seasons, while Rituraj Singh, 22, had played only nine first-class matches before Rajasthan's Group A game against Madhya Pradesh. The right-arm seamers complemented each other in Jaipur, like they did repeatedly last season, and took four wickets each to dismiss the visitors for 256 on the first day.

Rajasthan could have finished the day in a stronger position had Rameez Khan and Anand Rajan not added 88 for the eighth wicket after MP were 150 for 7.

Pankaj and Rituraj utilised the bowler-friendly conditions after stand-in captain Vineet Saxena chose to field, and they were ably supported by left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary. Most of the wickets didn't come off exceptional balls; the accuracy of the seamers forced the MP batsmen into committing mistakes. While Naman Ojha and Jalaj Saxena, MP's aggressive batsmen, threw their wickets away by chasing wide balls, the two standout dismissals were those of Zafar Ali and the captain Devendra Bundela.

Both the Singhs hardly got the new ball to swing, but once the senior partner had a word with Rituraj after Ojha's dismissal, the younger Singh started bending his back. The result was some extra bounce, which induced an edge from Ali to the keeper.

In the second session, when Bundela and Rameez Khan had begun to form a partnership, Pankaj struck. Despite bowling an immaculate line and length, Pankaj gone wicketless in his first two spells, but moments after Bundela made his 36th first-class fifty with an edge through the slip cordon, Pankaj managed to get one in sharply and trapped Bundela lbw.

Rajasthan were primed to end MP's innings, but with the blazing sun taking its toll on the three seamers, who had bowled more than 50 overs collectively in the first two sessions, Rameez and Rajan dominated the final session.

The moment the second new ball became available after 80 overs, Saxena gave it to Pankaj, who had been resting while the part-timers were operating. Rituraj had taken three wickets in his first spell, and Pankaj did the same in his last, dismissing Rameez, Rajan and Ishwar Pandey to end MP's innings.

"The wicket did ease out after the early morning moisture evaporated but still, it was commendable on Rituraj and Aniket's part to keep asking questions of batsmen," Pankaj said. "After the kind of first session we had [MP were 90 for 5 at lunch], we would have ideally liked to dismiss them for 200, but nevertheless we have done our job."

Pankaj has been a successful bowler on the domestic circuit for the last five years and has had a bigger role to play in this game after the captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar was sidelined by a calf injury. "We discussed it in the meeting [ahead of the game] that I shall have to bear the additional responsibility of not just leading the bowling attack but also being more involved by interacting with the bowlers more than before. It is expected that it will take time to get accustomed to what a new captain is thinking and we managed it well, I think."

Rituraj was cramping after bowling an eight-over opening spell followed by a nine-over spell either side of lunch. Pankaj then told him to cut back a little. "Since he had bowled a long spell, I asked him to hold himself back a little and bowl in short spells," Pankaj said. "And anyway we had decided to rotate the three of us. As a result, while Rituraj bowled a long first spell up front, I bowled a shorter one and then bowled a seven-over spell after lunch. The more we interact with each other, the better we perform as a team."

ICC reviewing stance against government interference

The ICC is reviewing its stance against government involvement in the administration of cricket in its Members, the ICC president Alan Isaac has said. Removal of government interference had been one of the Woolf report recommendations approved by the ICC but Isaac said it had recognised the role governments played in developing cricket in several countries and is rethinking its position.

"In the ICC annual conference, we made some changes and introduced some onerous penalties if they [issues related to government interference] are not complied with," Isaac said in Dhaka. "In the last meeting, we discussed the issues and the realities are we need to reflect on perhaps the draconian nature of some of those requirements.

"In this part of the world and lots of other countries, quite honestly, cricket and other sports depend on the government. We are having a little bit of post-change review. I am not making any comment about what those changes might result to, but I think we are having a period of reflection."

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is one of those bodies that has historically had its president appointed by the government. Current BCB president Nazmul Hasan was also appointed by the government after Mustafa Kamal was made the ICC vice-president and had to relinquish his position with the board.

Among other boards, Sri Lanka Cricket board members are elected, however major financial expenditures must be approved by the government, and the sports minister must also approve squad selections. This power was most conspicuously used in 2008, when the sports minister intervened to revive the career of Sanath Jayasuriya, who became a Member of Parliament with the governing party in 2010, while he was still playing. The PCB president is also appointed by the patron of the board, who is the President of Pakistan.

The Woolf report had stated that "governments taking an interest in the development of cricket and providing support and patronage to Member Boards may be acceptable or even desirable. It is a matter of achieving an appropriate balance between support and interference. It is important for the credibility of such safeguards that once defined, they are enforced rigorously and consistently." At its annual conference in 2011, the ICC gave its member boards two years to become democratised and free from government and political interference.

In this year's annual conference, the BCB had amended its constitution to include the election of its president, and put an end to the government appointment system. The National Sports Council, the sports regulatory body in the country, ratified this change but also stipulated that there must be three government-appointed directors.

Isaac said the ICC were in talks with the BCB to get acquainted with the board's constitution before recommending any changes. "It is not so much about the elected president; it's more the lack of government interference. The ICC staffs are in discussions with the BCB to understand what the constitution actually says to some of those aspects."

Isaac also reiterated the ICC's stance regarding the possibility of Bangladesh touring Pakistan in the near future, saying they would provide match officials if the security arrangement met their standards. "These are bilateral matches. ICC's role was to provide match officials and referees and obviously it has some responsibility towards these people," Isaac said. "We are all keen to see cricket return to Pakistan as quickly as possible. I think David Richardson and the team has been working with the BCB officials and the PCB officials to do everything they can to get cricket back in Pakistan.

"That work has been done at the moment and an assessment is to be done of the security. If they have not been able to or the officials are not prepared to go, what is likely to happen is the ICC will allow Pakistan officials to stand. That was an arrangement we had agreed previously as a special exception to facilitate cricket returning to Pakistan."

Injured Andrew McDonald out for the season

Andrew McDonald is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury that will require surgery. McDonald, the Victoria allrounder, will have an operation on Monday to repair an ongoing problem with his hamstring that has worsened in the past few weeks, ending any hopes of a recall to the national side this season after he captained Australia A against the touring South Africans earlier this month.

McDonald, 31, started the Sheffield Shield season in outstanding form with the bat, scoring 101 at better than a run a ball against Western Australia at the WACA, followed by 64 at the MCG against Tasmania. It's an unfortunate case of déjà vu for McDonald, who two years ago began the Shield season with three centuries in three games, but then broke his hand and was not able to capitalise on the strong form.

"Timing is everything in this game. Unfortunately I'm injured now so my timing's not great," McDonald told the Sunday Age. "What we put our bodies through in terms of playing cricket ... your body every now and then is going to let you down. Bowling's not great on the body, I think that's just part and parcel of playing cricket.

"One thing about this is I've got to get my body right. I feel as though I've got a lot of good years left in me. The way my batting's improved over the years, I think I can hold down a spot as a batsman, and once I get this hamstring problem fixed my bowling will be back to where it was a few years ago."

McDonald played four Tests, all against South Africa in early 2009, and would have come into strong consideration this summer had the selectors decided to replace the injured Shane Watson with another allrounder. He was also part of Australia's Ashes tour of England in 2009 but did not play a Test.

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